Darrell Hazell fields questions from the media after being announced as Purdue University's new head football coach Wednesday, December 5, 2012, at Mackey Arena. / John Terhune/Journal & Courier

Darrell Hazell started his Purdue career with a victory Wednesday night.

He won the press conference. Plus, how can you not like a guy who forms the bill on his baseball cap like Hazell?

His real victories will come on the field, but he’s off to a solid start.

The 48-year-old Hazell was impressive. He said what you wanted to hear. He wants to win championships. He wants to win the Rose Bowl. He wants to do it the right way. Coaches say those things all the time.

It was how he said it. He didn’t oversell it. Didn’t overhype it. There was no grandiose plan. He just stated it.

He’s battle-tested, staying at Ohio State for seven years. You recruit against the top-level teams and play the best. If Hazell was a weak link, he wouldn’t have made it.

His two years at Kent State proved he can turn around a moribund Mid-American Conference program and make it a borderline BCS bowl team. He knows what it takes. There’s more to work with at Purdue.

Morgan Burke also had a good night. His search to replace Danny Hope didn’t drag out and become a national punch line.

Burke said he was going to step up financially. Although we don’t know the exact numbers, all indications are Hazell will be well paid. More importantly, so will his assistants.

No longer will Purdue’s head coach and staff be the lowest paid in the Big Ten. It should make other schools take notice. Whether Burke will admit it or not, the Matt Painter situation two years ago forced his hand.

If you’re going to talk about playing in the Rose Bowl, you have to act like you want to play in the Rose Bowl. Burke is finally walking the walk, but Hazell will still need his support beyond money.

While Wednesday was a win-win for all parties, we all know this comes down to the performance on the field. If Hazell doesn’t eventually win — and we’re not talking next year, facing that brutal schedule — Wednesday’s press conference won’t matter.

But something tells me we’ll never reach that point, because Purdue found the right fit.